The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-07-08

last crop, grown In 1887! The land has
been pretty badly run ever since. The
manure put On in 1883 helped some;
but it would not begin to make good
what has been taken off. Many will
not believe it, perhaps, but no man can
pick out from the looks of the clover,
the piece that was heavily manured for
squashes years ago. We may have had
more rain this spring than in 1882; but
I have had such big crops on other
fields in u very dry year. After clover
gets started, on my land, the rain fall
makes but little difference with the
yield Of the first crop. I cannot help
but thiuk that the labor put on that
field, in the way of tillage, between the
summer 'S2 and the fall of 'S5 has had
something to do with bringing me this
enormous crop of clover. Just how I
do not pretend to say. Also 1 think
that land that will grow such clover,
even if the crop is all taken off for hay,
will bring large crop of potatoes next
year, other conditions being favorable,
without any manure. IF I was intend
ing to put wheat On that field this fall,
after removing all the clover that grew
during the sason, [ should not dare put
any stable manure on, if had it to
spare. The clover roots would furnish
all the fertility that it would be safe to
have. Where it comes from / do not
know; but there are the facts in my ex-
perience, and recognizing them, and
managing my farm accordingly, has
made it profitable.
| can show you dairy farms in this
country where clover is not raised to
amount to any thing, and where the
soil is apparently the same as mine, and
where stable manure is put on the wheat
ground every year in liberal quantities.
| have watched these farms carefully
for many years. They never get ahead
of me in yield of wheat, and sometimes
| beat them almost two to one. Now l
am not boasting; but merely say this,
that l may tell them that what they
need is heavy thick crops of clover.
Then they will get more wheat, and
they can have their manure for grow.
ing heavy crops of ensilage corn. With
such clover sod, and so much tillage,
my greav trouble with wheat is that it
is too heavy. My best wheat is terribly
down already, although put on only
a little over bushel per acre, of seed,
and no manure whatever.
Such heavy crops of clover do not
make the best of hay; but I do not care
to raise lighter ones on that account. [
think perhaps the wisest plan would be
to have silo, and cut the clover and
put it in just before it fell down. I
think early sowing an important point.
Mine was sown the last of February,
and we have a good stand, as usual.
We have been tearing down our old
barn and building larger one, this
spring. Storage for IL or l3 tons of
hay was sufficient when | bought this
farm. We built around the old barn
until there was no more room. We
shall now have room for 80 to 100 tons
of hay and grain, and room to keep all
the straw under cover when we thresh.
The change would never have been
made (the 30x40 would have been big
enough)--in fact we should not have
been able to do it, and pay cash down,
but for tillage and clover, do not say
"tillage is manure" or" clover gets fer
tility from the air'-do not know any
thing about it, but this 1 do know, that
they have helped me wonderfully, and
that my crops never looked better than
they do this season.. T. B. TERRY.
Summit, Co., o., June g.
THE above article written for the
Country Gentleman though long, is SO
thoroughly interesting and to the point,
and being the experience Of practical
farmer, we give it entire at the risk OF
being somewhat tedious to superficial
readers.